25-Jul-2014, 21:54
(25-Jul-2014, 10:30)GuillaumeB Wrote: [ -> ]Some pictures of my new arrivals...
Guillaume
Lovely stuff, Guillaume. I wish you many happy hours listening.
ATB, Ken
25-Jul-2014, 21:54
25-Jul-2014, 22:04
What make is the rather splendid hifi rack?
25-Jul-2014, 22:44
(25-Jul-2014, 22:04)Confused Wrote: [ -> ]What make is the rather splendid hifi rack?
It's a Spectral High-End.
Guillaume
26-Jul-2014, 16:38
Congratulations on your new speakers!
(25-Jul-2014, 10:30)GuillaumeB Wrote: [ -> ]Some pictures of my new arrivals...
Guillaume
29-Mar-2016, 14:54
I've just realised that I haven't updated this in ages.... and it's hopelessly out of date... well almost!
I expect to receive the Original d'Atelier any day now; I understand these shipped late last week. In the meantime I am running Oxford Audio's machine and what a fine thing it is. I have to admit that I am not tiring of its sound, or even getting used to it! Each time I sit down to listen to some music I am wowed as though it were the first time. There is something palpable about the sound, the midrange textures have more weight, instrument timbres seem more realistic, vocals are more holographic with more "air" around them. The 3d soundstage seems better proportioned. There is something just much more "right" about the sound. It really draws you in, each time. In my mind it is a big improvement over the 800 - say 20% or something, perhaps even more.
I do have a small confession to make however. A few weeks ago I took possession of a pair of Transparent XL speakers cables, yes the new Gen 5 ones. I had been lusting after a pair ever since I demoed them at Absolute Sounds, and those were the Gen 4 ones! The Gen 5 XL effectively replaces the old XL and MM2 (now that the range has been somewhat simplified) and is the last step before Opus, in fact many consider them to be equal if not a bit better than the Gen 4 Opus. The XLs I have have been "calibrated" to match the impedances of the O d'A and Sasha2.
I first ran the XLs with my 800s. Straight out of the box they seemed calmer, almost quieter than my Sarums. Then I began hearing and feeling textures I hadn't before experienced on familiar pieces of music. On tracks that had previously seemed a bit bright and fatiguing I could now relax and really enjoy the music. In fact it was only once I had the XLs in my system that I realised the shortcomings of the Sarum, and for a long time I had thought Sarum was a fantastic speaker cable, in fact I still do! But whereas Sarum had a tendency to overwhelm the room with energy by giving you more of everything (often a good thing), the XLs just seem calmer and more balanced/poised/natural and as such let you hear more into the music including some midrange and bass detail I hadn't before heard.
Since replacing the 800 with Jon's O d'A things have gone to an altogether new level and the crazy thing is that they are still improving. Last night I had a wow moment whilst streaming from Qobuz. I had simply never heard anything quite like it, and this was streaming CD-quality material from the internet, something I have always been a bit dismissive about! Goosebumps, elation... you name it!
I should say that some time ago I invested in a Paul Pang "audiophile" switch which I partnered with an iFi iPower power supply. This is positioned close to the hifi rack and led to some noticeable improvements, particularly when streaming from Qobuz (don't ask me why!). The combo wasn't crazy money and I would heartily recommend to anyone looking to squeeze a bit more performance out of their ethernet network.
Last but not least I have become a complete convert to decoupling, and actually was quite late to the party in this regard. I now have 3 Ansuz Diamonds under each Devialet unit and have transferred my Ceramics to the Totaldac streamer. When Alasdair last visited with the loaner O d'A I carried out the Ansuz test, ok it wasn't a blind test or anything but the impact was sufficient to have Alasdair stare at me in utter disbelief. In my setup it makes a ridiculous improvement, certainly more than most tweaks I have carried out over the years. Could it be that the glass shelves in my rack transfer so much airborne and ground vibrations to the units? Who knows? Close proximity of my right hand side speaker to the hifi rack? I couldn't tell you.
Pictures to follow...
Guillaume
I expect to receive the Original d'Atelier any day now; I understand these shipped late last week. In the meantime I am running Oxford Audio's machine and what a fine thing it is. I have to admit that I am not tiring of its sound, or even getting used to it! Each time I sit down to listen to some music I am wowed as though it were the first time. There is something palpable about the sound, the midrange textures have more weight, instrument timbres seem more realistic, vocals are more holographic with more "air" around them. The 3d soundstage seems better proportioned. There is something just much more "right" about the sound. It really draws you in, each time. In my mind it is a big improvement over the 800 - say 20% or something, perhaps even more.
I do have a small confession to make however. A few weeks ago I took possession of a pair of Transparent XL speakers cables, yes the new Gen 5 ones. I had been lusting after a pair ever since I demoed them at Absolute Sounds, and those were the Gen 4 ones! The Gen 5 XL effectively replaces the old XL and MM2 (now that the range has been somewhat simplified) and is the last step before Opus, in fact many consider them to be equal if not a bit better than the Gen 4 Opus. The XLs I have have been "calibrated" to match the impedances of the O d'A and Sasha2.
I first ran the XLs with my 800s. Straight out of the box they seemed calmer, almost quieter than my Sarums. Then I began hearing and feeling textures I hadn't before experienced on familiar pieces of music. On tracks that had previously seemed a bit bright and fatiguing I could now relax and really enjoy the music. In fact it was only once I had the XLs in my system that I realised the shortcomings of the Sarum, and for a long time I had thought Sarum was a fantastic speaker cable, in fact I still do! But whereas Sarum had a tendency to overwhelm the room with energy by giving you more of everything (often a good thing), the XLs just seem calmer and more balanced/poised/natural and as such let you hear more into the music including some midrange and bass detail I hadn't before heard.
Since replacing the 800 with Jon's O d'A things have gone to an altogether new level and the crazy thing is that they are still improving. Last night I had a wow moment whilst streaming from Qobuz. I had simply never heard anything quite like it, and this was streaming CD-quality material from the internet, something I have always been a bit dismissive about! Goosebumps, elation... you name it!
I should say that some time ago I invested in a Paul Pang "audiophile" switch which I partnered with an iFi iPower power supply. This is positioned close to the hifi rack and led to some noticeable improvements, particularly when streaming from Qobuz (don't ask me why!). The combo wasn't crazy money and I would heartily recommend to anyone looking to squeeze a bit more performance out of their ethernet network.
Last but not least I have become a complete convert to decoupling, and actually was quite late to the party in this regard. I now have 3 Ansuz Diamonds under each Devialet unit and have transferred my Ceramics to the Totaldac streamer. When Alasdair last visited with the loaner O d'A I carried out the Ansuz test, ok it wasn't a blind test or anything but the impact was sufficient to have Alasdair stare at me in utter disbelief. In my setup it makes a ridiculous improvement, certainly more than most tweaks I have carried out over the years. Could it be that the glass shelves in my rack transfer so much airborne and ground vibrations to the units? Who knows? Close proximity of my right hand side speaker to the hifi rack? I couldn't tell you.
Pictures to follow...
Guillaume
29-Mar-2016, 17:38
I can certainly go along with the OdA comments and it is to be hoped that a drip down of some sort will happen for at least 800 users.
I laughed at the third paragraph as a "small confession" correlates with a "huge spend" but then Transparent do know how to put a decent bit of cabling together.
I can't use the Ansuz pods myself as I'm wall mounted ... but if some enterprising individual at Anzus reads this ... I'll try out the free samples.
I laughed at the third paragraph as a "small confession" correlates with a "huge spend" but then Transparent do know how to put a decent bit of cabling together.
I can't use the Ansuz pods myself as I'm wall mounted ... but if some enterprising individual at Anzus reads this ... I'll try out the free samples.
29-Mar-2016, 18:35
Some pictures...
[attachment=1058]
[attachment=1059]
[attachment=1060]
Here's the Paul Pang switch:
[attachment=1061]
Guillaume
[attachment=1058]
[attachment=1059]
[attachment=1060]
Here's the Paul Pang switch:
[attachment=1061]
Guillaume
29-Mar-2016, 18:47
I am new to this forum. Can anyone help me get a customer service or tech support phone #. Unlike other high end brand Devialet does not seem to have good customer service. I am in the market to purchase Two Devialet 200, bit afraid of there support. I am in Canada and cannot find a tech support other than email.And my questions are not answered looks like computer generated rather than a actual person. Dealers don't provide you too much help unless you buy from them.
(22-Jun-2014, 12:40)GuillaumeB Wrote: [ -> ]My hi-fi system comprises of a Devialet 800 made up of two 250s. These are being fed by a Simaudio Moon MiND 180 which is essentially a UPnP renderer with a number of high quality digital outputs. This solution has enabled me to preserve my original UPnP network-based setup with a QNAP 419P NAS with 3 (1TB) bays set up as a RAID 5 and 1 (1TB) bay as a backup volume. I use AudioQuest Diamond ethernet cables between the NAS and Draytech router and between my switch and MiND 180. Connecting the Draytech to switch is a 20M run of AQ carbon Cat7. The switch sits next the hi-fi rack, which is a Spectral High End rack with 19mm thick glass shelves.
(My previous system was a Linn Klimax DS with Linn Klimax Kontrol and Solos and therefore was UPnP-based)
My speakers are Wilson Audio Sophia 3s although these will soon be upgraded to Sasha 2s. My speaker cables are Chord Sarum.
I use Transparent XL digital cables (an S/PDIF and an AES/EBU) to connect the two Devialet units together and the MiND 180 to the master unit.
Power-wise I have a dedicated consumer unit for hi-fi duties with 8 individual circuits feeding a double socket via 6mm T&E, therefore all my components sit on separate circuits. Of the 8 wall sockets, 3 are Furutech GTX-D US-style duplex wall outlets. Each Devialet unit is therefore connected to its own wall socket (the third one is currently unused but was fitted for future proofing).
Mains cables-wise I use Entreq's top of the range Atlantis power cables, these feature Furutech's heavy duty FI-50M ceramic/carbon fittings with US plugs. Each Atlantis mains cable is in turn connected to a Silver Tellus ground box via an Atlantis earth cable.
The two Devialet units and MiND 180 are connected to a separate Entreq Silver Tellus ground box using Apollo ground cables.
I have 4 GIK acoustic panels in the two front corners of the room (with two stacked from ground to ceiling on each side), these are Tri-Trap corner bass traps.
Guillaume
29-Mar-2016, 18:57
(29-Mar-2016, 18:47)vishu Wrote: [ -> ]I am new to this forum. Can anyone help me get a customer service or tech support phone #. Unlike other high end brand Devialet does not seem to have good customer service. I am in the market to purchase Two Devialet 200, bit afraid of there support. I am in Canada and cannot find a tech support other than email.And my questions are not answered looks like computer generated rather than a actual person. Dealers don't provide you too much help unless you buy from them.Hi Vishu - I just found this on the Devialet website:
United States
Monday-Friday 9am (EDT) - 7pm (PST)
Saturday 10am (EDT) - 5pm (PST)
(844) 975-6718
Spoken Languages : English, Spanish
Guillaume
29-Mar-2016, 19:14
Hi Guillaume, how would you describe the sound of the Transparent speaker cables?